Eastern sigillata
Eastern Sigillata rarely, (ES) in the German East Sigillata called, is an archaeological collective term Hellenistic for certain genera and Roman Iron Age pottery from the eastern Mediterranean. The name Eastern Sigillata is derived from the Roman Terra Sigillata , with which it has the rich red coating in common. However, the term sigillata was not used in ancient times, it is a term used in modern archeology.
Since Kathleen Kenyon worked on the sigillata from Samaria in 1957, a distinction has been made between 3 sigillates:
- Eastern Sigillata A (ESA),
- Eastern Sigillata B (ESB) and
- Eastern Sigillata C (ESC).
They differ in the nature of their clay and partly their surface color, as well as in their production centers and manufacturing periods.
Eastern sigillata A.
In the middle of the 2nd century BC, a new type of ceramic was developed in the Hellenistic East: Ceramic with a rich red-brown gloss and a dense coating. The color of the clay goes slightly into light brown and yellow. The goods were produced in the Syrian-Palestinian area, possibly in Antioch, Tire or Tarsus. They were from the middle of the 2nd century. v. Widespread mainly in the eastern Mediterranean area until the 2nd century AD.
In the late period of the Roman Republic , the eastern Mediterranean areas came under Roman rule. As a result, the shiny red tableware spread in Italy and later in all the provinces of the Roman Empire .
literature
- For an introduction see: Der Neue Pauly sv Terra Sigillata, C. and D. (RF Docter)
- John W. Hayes et al., In: G. Pugliese Caratelli et al. (Ed.), Atlante delle forme ceramiche 2 (1985)
- N. Kramer, Überlegungen zur Eastern Sigillata A, in: N. Fenn and C. Römer-Strehl (Eds.), Networks in the Hellenistic World According to the Pottery in the Eastern Mediterranean and Beyond. BAR Int. Ser. 2539, Oxford 2013, pp. 283-292.